Question

Who among the following was a member of the French team, who explored Mekong river?
(a) Paul Burmard
(b) Liang Qichao
(c) Nuynh Phu so
(d) Francis Garnier

Answer 1

Hint: He was born in Saint-Étienne, Loire, on July 25, 1839, and entered the French Navy, and, after travelling in the waters of Brazil and the Pacific, he became a member of the staff of Admiral Leonard Victor Charner, who was campaigning in Cochinchina from February 1860 to November 1861.

Complete answer: When the Franco-German War broke out, Garnier was in France coordinating the writing of an account of the Mekong River expedition. During the siege of Paris, he served with distinction, but was passed over for promotion because of his public disapproval of the peace terms put on France. Disappointed by this development and resentful of claims that he had denigrated the role of Doudart de Lagrée in the Mekong expedition, in the hope of balancing exploration with commercial success, Garnier travelled to China. An ardent believer in the colonial future of France, Garnier strongly promoted the extension of French influence in Vietnam and the economic advantages that he claimed would flow from the Mekong River expedition. A French expedition led by Doudart de Lagrée, with Garnier as second in command, largely as a result of his advocacy, left Saigon in June 1866 to explore the Mekong. In economic terms, the mission was a disappointment, and the river was found to be non-navigable by boats of any scale. But the explorers accomplished a big feat in mapping unfamiliar lands, facing great difficulties and constant illness that eventually took the life of Lagrée, and were the first Europeans to reach Yunnan province by a southern road. Garnier, who took command of the expedition three months before its conclusion in June 1868, following the death of Lagrée, was honored with many medals.

Thus, Correct option is (d) Francis Garnier.

Note: It was at his recommendation that the Marquis de Chasseloup-Laubat wanted to send a party to investigate the Mekong River valley, but the chief authority was assigned to Captain Ernest Doudard de Lagrée, because Garnier was not deemed old enough to be placed in charge.